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How Much Damage Was Done by WikiLeaks?

Bradley Manning, the U.S. Army soldier accused of providing classified information to WikiLeaks, has so far been left in the dark about what harm his alleged actions have caused the United States. However, a recent ruling has changed that.

The judge presiding over Manning's trial demanded the U.S. government hand over previously classified information detailing the cost of damages it believes were done by Manning's actions, according to The Guardian.

The documents, which will remain out of the public's hands, were given to Manning's defense earlier this week. Additionally, Manning's defense team has been given access to a censored government study into the WikiLeaks organization. It's also attempting to get the results of an inquiry into the leak carried out independently by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Manning was arrested in May of 2011 on 22 charges for his alleged role in the leak of hundreds of thousands of classified diplomatic cables and military reports. The most serious he faces is that of "aiding the enemy," which can potentially carry the death sentence. However, the prosecution in Manning's case has previously said it would only seek a life sentence at most if the ex-solider is found guilty.

The U.S. Army didn't define "the enemy" as the terrorist group al-Qaeda until mid-March of this year. The newly released information may help Manning's defense argue that he did not, in fact, aid al-Qaeda. And If Manning is found guilty of any of the charges which have been filed against him, the documents may serve to lighten his sentence.

The judge's order to release the documents to the defense team came during a pre-trial hearing held this week. Manning's full trial is set to begin on Sept. 21. He's currently being held in military custody at Ford Meade, Maryland. Last February, Manning — considered a heroic whistleblower by some — was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

BONUS: Julian Assange, His History and Story

Julian Assange: His History and Story

Julian Assange

Julian Assange, 40, is an Australian-born political activist and journalist known for his controversial website WikiLeaks, which has published leaked documents that allege government and corporate misconduct. Assange fell into his career path after he was a hacker-activist in his early days.

Photo courtesy Wikimedia

Exposing the Government

From publishing material about extrajudicial killings in Kenya to toxic waste dumping in Côte d'Ivoire, Assange has long sought to bring controversial concepts to the forefront. On 28 November 2010, WikiLeaks and its five international print media partners (Der Spiegel, The New York Times, Le Monde, The Guardian and El País) began publishing U.S. diplomatic cables.

Beyond WikiLeaks

In addition to controversy surrounding the published documents in 2010, Assange's personal life became the center of a media uproar when he was arrested and taken into custody amid sex crime allegations. He remains a subject of a grand jury investigation in the U.S. and awaits the ruling of Britain’s Supreme Court regarding the possibility of extradition to Sweden.

Free Julian Assange Protests

The self-described “protector of victims” continues to fight extradition to Sweden before Britain’s Supreme Court. The appeal is Assange’s latest move to avoid being sent to Sweden to answer allegations of sexual crimes.

The World Tomorrow

Although Assange is under house arrest, he has hardly stayed out of the public eye. He recently completed filming episodes for his upcoming reality TV show "The World Tomorrow," which will air on Tuesday, April 17 on the Russia Today (RT) network. It was filmed over the past two months at his temporary home in England. The focus is a series of conversations with "some of the most interesting and controversial people alive in the world today."

In the Public

Court appearances and his new series aren't the only times the public has seen Assange recently. He played himself in the 500th episode of The Simpsons in February by recording his lines while under house arrest and was directed remotely. He also recently announced plans to run for a seat in the Australian Senate.

Assange, The Movie

Actor Anthony LaPaglia is expected play a detective tracking a young Assange in an upcoming film that focuses on his early days involved with Internet hacking. In the made-for-TV movie called Underground produced by Australian TV station Network Ten and set for global distribution through NBCUniversal, Assange will be played by film newcomer Alex Williams.

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